Isaiah 10:9

The first four cities in this list were north-west of Damascus, which is the capital of Syria.

The order of the places in this list shows the progress of the *Assyrian army from the north. The *Assyrians are advancing nearer and nearer to Judah. Nobody can stop them.

The king of Assyria’s methods

v12 But the king of Assyria is merely carrying out God’s purpose against the people in *Jerusalem. As soon as that purpose is complete, the *Lord will punish the king of Assyria. This is because of the king’s proud words. v13 The king had been declaring that he had won all his battles by his own strength and wisdom. He had destroyed boundaries between nations. He had *seized their national treasures (precious objects). He had overcome the inhabitants. v14 Each of the nations was like a bird’s nest. ‘I gathered the wealth of the nations as easily as someone could gather eggs from a nest. Not a wing moved. Not a beak (bird’s mouth) opened to frighten me.’